Yoga: Immortality and Freedom (Bollingen Series, Vol. LVI)

Yoga: Immortality and Freedom (Bollingen Series, Vol. LVI)

Mircea Eliade

In this landmark e-book the popular student of faith Mircea Eliade lays the foundation for a Western realizing of Yoga, exploring how its guideline, that of freedom, comprises final on the earth with out letting oneself be exhausted via such "conditionings" as time and historical past. Drawing on years of research and adventure in India, Eliade presents a entire survey of Yoga in idea and perform from its earliest foreshadowings within the Vedas during the 20th century. the themes mentioned contain Patañjali, writer of the Yoga-sutras; yogic strategies, comparable to focus "on a unmarried Point," postures, and respiration self-discipline; and Yoga in terms of Brahmanism, Buddhism, Tantrism, Oriental alchemy, mystical erotism, and shamanism.

Self is barely illusorily drawn into the drama of life. the single time period that concerns during this equation-suffering-is skipped over of account. Sarpkhya doesn't put off human agony; it denies it as realzty through denying that it might probably have any actual dating with the Self. pain is still, .94 I. Th e Doctrines of Yoga since it is a cosmic truth, however it loses its importance. soreness is completed away with by means of ignormg it as affliction. Certamly, this suppres­ sion of anguish isn't really empincal.

Samiidhi, now not with the intention to receive a mastery over the weather, which, in any ca�e, .i� ..o!:_!l� . E�rtial and provision�l;. For I t is. sa_ma_dhz, now not the � . . ' �o£� �t p_o_vyers,;, · whlch repr�sents _true "masterye" As Patafij ali says,l23 those powers are "perfections" ( this is often the literal meanmg of the time period szddhi) within the waking country ( vyutthana ) , yet characterize stumbling blocks within the country of samadhi-which is just ordinary, if we think about that, for Indian proposal, all ownership implies.

S at any time when we want to designate an event and a kingdom of con­ sciousness which are cosmic in scale , no matter if "ecstasy, within the stnct experience of the observe isn't really continually in-volved. �e Vedas additionally discuss with different supranormal reports, in con­ nection with legendary figures (Ekavratya, Brahmacarin, Vena, and so on. ) who most likely characterize the di vmized archetypes of definite ascetics and magicians. The divinization of guy, the "man-god," is still a important motif of Indian spintuality. Ekavratya, already.

not anything, "if there's no extra mirrored image with regards to Yoga, the top IS attained" ( .'3 7, 1 ) . As for prii7Jiiyl!:_ma, the yogin makes an attempt to "raise" the manas above the navel, then above the guts, so as to "fix" it among the eyebrows ( the "highest position" ) and at last within the cranium, whence, nonetheless by way of strength of respiring, he needs to make it go all the way down to the navel back ( 37, 2 ff. ; 38, 1 ) . The "highest position" belongs to Brahman. via this yogic workout, one unearths the Self, turns into.